IF it were up to Jay Leno, we would see a 24 hour version of The Jay Leno Show on all channels seven days a week, as it stands, I will have to turn the channel five nights a week at 10 p.m. (instead of 11:30 p.m.) thanks to NBC’s decision to kick scripted television to the curb and air a bloated primetime version of the late night variety show hosted by Jay Leno.
While NBC spots advertising Leno’s new show (and they are endless,) tout Leno as an alternative to “crimetime” there is nothing funny about folks in the entertainment industry, in front and behind the camera, hammering tears over the amount of jobs that have dried up as a direct result of Leno’s new primetime monster.
With actors and studios avoiding Leno like the black lung, he is in serious trouble booking his new show with anyone meaningful and thus has resorted to calling in all favors from the likes of the bulletproof Jerry Seinfeld, who is to be Leno’s first guest.
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who's laughing now?
Most know by now, FOX seriously underestimated the power of Paula Abdul. Now other networks are courting Abdul and her star-power with offers to install Abdul in their own top rated talent competitions.
Steve McPherson, ABC’s entertainment president has been quoted that he would love to have Abdul on “Dancing with the Stars” adding he had already made the call to Abdul.
“I would love to have her. I was a little stunned by the American Idol decision. We would love to have her on ‘Dancing’ either as a participant or a contestant, I definitely have reached out to her. I gave her a call first and foremost to say I was sorry about the situation and to say we’d love to see her on ABC.”
McPherson will have to make Abdul a very nice deal if he wants her on his show as Abdul already met with Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of “So You Think You Can Dance” this weekend.
No word yet on where Abdul will go post Idol, however one thing is for sure, American Idol brass made a serious mistake letting her walk away over something silly like a few million dollars.
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“Let’s Make a deal” redux to star funny man, Wayne Brady.
Made popular by hosting icon, Monty Hall, the new incarnation of “Deal” will most likely be a big hit with the popular Brady at the helm.
Set to debut on Oct, 5th, the format is to be kept similar to the original game show hopefully with the infamous question intact, “Do you want door number 1, number 2 or number 3?”
In sad news, Deal, will be replacing “Guiding Light,” after an astonishing 50 year run.
ThecounT.com TV expert, Josh Kono says, “In tough economic times TV viewers historically like to watch other people winning money on game shows more so than the melodramatics of a soap, it’s really a huge sign of the times and a bold move for CBS.”
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Are you kidding me?
You would think when the President of the United States calls for a news conference to discuss issues such as universal health care, the networks would carry it, no questions asked. Think again…
FOX has refused to carry Wednesday’s broadcast! ABC and CBS have agreed but only after the White House agreed to move it from 9 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The reason the networks are being so difficult? Reality TV! You heard me right, and instead of seeing the President talk about health care at 9 p.m. on ABC, you will see the regularly scheduled reality TV program “America’s Got Talent,” featuring singer, Susan Boyle from “Britain’s Got Talent.”
For CBS, who agreed right away to air the President, broadcasts only repeats on that night, however, FOX’s 2 hour “So You Think You Can Dance” broadcast wins out over the President of the United States.
First scripted TV and now the President… Is no one safe from the reality TV?
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Letterman
David Letterman has beaten Conan O’Brien in the ratings again. Last week, The Late Show with David Letterman beat The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien by more than 800,000 viewers. This is Letterman’s best run since 2000 when he recovered from heart surgery. He’s had a great guest list, including Sacha Baron Cohen and, most recently, Paul McCartney. Also, his publicized feud with Gov. Sarah Palin boosted his ratings even more. Things have really been going well for Mr. Letterman.
Not that Conan’s doing poorly. He is well-received by the critics and seems to be keeping his fanbase intact. Indeed, Conan is cleaning up when it comes to the coveted 18-49 age demographic. That means that while my dad watches Letterman, I’m watching Conan. As we all know, advertisers are constantly aiming to attract young viewers so NBC is quite happy with Conan’s ratings. Of course, I’m sure they’d like to be number one.
A little late night competition never hurt anybody. For viewers, it’s a win-win either way. David Letterman is hilarious and an obvious influence on Conan O’Brien, who delivers great comedy night after night. As a late night viewer, I’m happy with both shows. We can all exist in harmony! Still, it’s fascinating to watch this little back and forth ratings battle.
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Cronkite
Man, I hope he pulls through. Veteran TV reporter/American legend, Walter Cronkite, is reportedly very, very sick. TVNewser and other websites are saying that the 92-year-old former CBS Evening News anchor has taken a turn for the worse.
CBS isn’t commenting on the story but Cronkite colleague Bob Schieffer said “All of us are praying for the best, and our thoughts are with Walter’s family.” Schieffer is the current host of CBS’s Face The Nation.
Cronkite was considered the most trusted man in America. So trusted, in fact, that President Nixon stated when he lost Cronkite’s support, he lost America’s support. Perhaps his most famous moment was when he reported the death of President Kennedy back in 1963. He is considered by many as the greatest newscaster of all time.
Let’s wish Mr. Cronkite the best.
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TV Week Reports: CBS may soon decide to pull the plug on “Guiding Light,” the longest-running daytime drama in television history.
While no final decision has been made, the network’s deal for the Procter & Gamble-produced drama”the least watched of the eight daytime serials currently on the air”ends in September. But if CBS does drop “Guiding Light,” it likely would lock in a decision within the next month, people familiar with the matter said. That would give writers a chance to tie up storylines.
CBS also would need to finalize new programming for the daytime hour that “Guiding Light” would be vacating.
I have a few great ideas of shows: to replace Guiding Light:
1. “Making The Band O’G Style”: Senior Citizens try out for the possibility of being in a music group.
2. “Makeover On A Food Stamp”: Use food stamps at Ralphs to completely make over your living room
3. “Crackden“: Follow 5 crackheads on their quest for another hit
4. “Overpriced: A spin off of Dateline’s investigative reports focused on 99cent, Rite Aid and Walgreens.
5. “Yule Log”- 24/7 Fireplace
6. “Of The Sea”- aquarium view at Sea World 24/7
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“Joaquin I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight” Dave joked. Joaquin’s hair matted, his voice a murmur, his skin apparently crawling. I could feel Joaquin’s irritation from the couch. The audience laughed at him constantly throughout the segments. Although he said virtually nothing, the weirdness spoke volumes.
After seeing this spectacle, I’m left thinking, “Is this supposed to be a joke?” Has something gone terribly wrong with Phoenix or is he using us as some sort of science project?
Sadly, the answers probably wont come easy. He surely will never admit he is playing all of us, and if he does have real issues then we may not know until it’s too late. When things go this wrong with this great of an American actor, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and buckle ourselves in for the ride.
alarming
Perez Hilton reported on CBS Saturday, Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson have split.
Perez Hilton
Perez, who provided the info on The Early Show, told co-anchor Erica Hill that he had some “breaking news” and just in time for his national appearance and a new book he wrote with Jared Shapiro, “Red Carpet Suicide: A Survival Guide on Keeping Up With the Hiltons.”
Perez blabbed, “She’s [Lohan] denying it, but they have broken up. She’s moved out of the house they shared together. She’s now looking for her own apartment, it would be wild and amazing if Lindsay, of all people, started dating Paris Hilton!”
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AP -
NEW YORK – CBS Corp. said Thursday it swung to a third-quarter loss, weighed down by a hefty $14.12 billion write-down related to a drop in value of its media assets.
The New York-based media company reported a loss of $12.46 billion, or $18.58 per share, compared with a profit of $343.3 million, or 48 cents per share, a year ago.
CBS said earlier this month that it would record the charge to reflect a decreased book value for its radio and TV stations.
Its adjusted earnings from continuing operations were $290.3 million, or 43 cents per share.
For the period ended Sept. 30, revenue rose 3 percent to $3.38 billion from $3.28 billion, helped by the acquisition of CNET Networks in June and the domestic cable syndication sale of “CSI:New York.”
Analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast earnings of 40 cents per share on revenue of $3.37 billion.
CBS said the economic downturn has hurt ad sales _ mostly locally _ and warned that recent financial market volatility would likely lead to more ad spending declines.
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